How Johnson football went from 1-5 to dominating Austin High and making UIL playoffs

BUDA – Johnson quarterback Jonah Montgomery hasn’t connected on many deep passes this season. But on the first snap of the second quarter of Thursday’s District 26-6A contest against Austin High, the senior launched a deep heave on third down from his own 45-yard line.

Intercepted.

While it felt like the momentum swung at Bob Shelton Stadium, the shift was temporary. Two plays later, Johnson cornerback Zavier Antoine intercepted an Austin High throw and returned it to the 1-yard line, where Montgomery ran for a touchdown that put the Jaguars up two scores early in the second quarter.

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That four-play sequence sums up this contest. Johnson’s defense made crucial stops to give the offense good field position, which they often capitalized on en route to a 42-6 victory that secured the Jaguars (4-5, 3-2) a spot in the playoffs.

“They made short fields for us and we just punched it in and helped them out,” Montgomery, who ran for three touchdowns and threw for another, told reporters postgame.

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From 1-5 to the playoffs

A loss Thursday likely ended Johnson’s chances at qualifying for the postseason. Instead, the Jaguars had one of their best performances of the year and cemented a place in the bidistrict round.

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It was a statement performance from a team that has rebounded from an underwhelming start to its season. Johnson dropped five of its first six games, including a 41-28 loss Sept. 25 to Hays to begin district play. The Jaguars entered the fourth quarter of that battle tied with the Hawks before giving up 13 points in one period.

Johnson fell to district champion Dripping Springs the next week, but has outscored Del Valle, Akins – two teams with a combined 2-15 record – and Austin High 200-13 over its last three games.

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“It was really a wake-up call to the offense, defense and special teams,” Antoine said of the defeat against Hays. “We knew we were so much better than that, so much better. So we got back on our feet, and now we’re in a playoff spot.”

Austin High playoff scenarios

Thursday’s result potentially marked the end of Austin High’s (3-6, 3-3) season.

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If Hays, 1-3 in district play, loses one of its final two games – contests against Del Valle and Akins – or Johnson beats Bowie, which is 6-2 and 4-1 in district play, next week, the Maroons would sneak into the postseason.

A Johnson win over Bowie would give the Jaguars four district wins and create a head-to-head tiebreaking scenario between Hays and Austin High, which the Maroons hold due to a 35-28 Oct. 2 win. However, if Bowie triumphs and Hays sweeps the rest of its slate, Austin High, Hays and Johnson would each have three district victories, with only two playoff spots up for grabs in 26-6A.

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The tiebreaker in that scenario is point differential in games between the tied teams. The margin of victory is capped at 18 points for these contests. Hays paces the group with a +6 point differential, while Johnson is at +5 and Austin High would be out at -11.

“Everybody’s hugely disappointed,” Maroons coach Jason Cecil said moments after addressing his team. “We didn’t do the things we had to do to win the game, and the result was what the result was. But I love these kids. I’m proud of them. They’ve come to work every day, and we’re going to build and move forward.”

Jaguars take control in first half

Austin High sadvanced the ball inside the Jaguars 30 on its first possession Thursday, but a fumble cost the visitors 25 yards and led to them punting. The following Austin High series ended when the Maroons were stuffed on 4th-and-short near midfield.

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Two of Austin High’s next three drives ended in interceptions. Starting quarterback Alijah Jablon also left the game with an injury midway through the second quarter.

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As the Maroons floundered, the Jaguars created a sizable first half advantage. Running back Ayden Johnson rushed for a 31-yard touchdown with 2 minutes, 43 seconds left in the opening quarter to start the scoring. Montgomery added his first score early in the second after Antoine’s interception.

Then, Johnson faced fourth-and-8 41 yards from the end zone with eight seconds left in the first half. Montgomery ended the quarter that began with his interception on a deep pass by connecting with receiver Devan Brown for a touchdown that pushed the lead to 21-0 at the break.

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“We don’t really throw the ball that much, and we have really great, talented receivers,” Montgomery, who only threw four passes Thursday, said. “That was a time we needed to take a big shot for a moment. We needed it, and we got it.”

Montgomery ran for two more touchdowns in the second half.

Austin High’s lone touchdown of the day was a 6-yard pass from backup quarterback Whit Davenport to Lorenzo Hoopman, with two minutes left in the third quarter.

A 28-yard from Johnson’s Maddox Martinez run with 5:58 left in the game capped the matchup’s scoring.

Same mindset next week

The Jaguars ran for 250 yards as a team Thursday. Meanwhile, Austin High’s running back duo of Caleb Deleon and George Murchison combined for 15 yards on 13 carries.

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“Every single time they touch the ball, we just want to make sure our defense makes them know we were the ones that stopped them on that play,” Johnson coach Sam Carlin said, “and part of that is just getting after them every single play.”

The Jaguars will aim to have similar success next week against Bowie and star running back Rhys Moreno, who has run for 1,381 yards and 20 touchdowns. Even though Johnson’s playoff status is safe, the team wants to end the regular season with one more statement win.

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This article originally published at How Johnson football went from 1-5 to dominating Austin High and making UIL playoffs.

Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com